Kelley Armstrong: Death at a Highland Wedding

Kelley Armstrong is back with the next installment in her Rip Through Time Series and this time Death is happening on the road:

Mallory, Gray and McCreadie are off to the Scotland Highlands to attend the wedding of McCreadie's younger sister. McCreadie's younger sister is upholding a match between the McCreadie's and the Cranston's as McCreadie canceled his engagement to Cranston's sister, so things are going to be a bit awkward. But Mallory is happy to escape the city, and the Cranston Estate is beautiful. But beauty can only hide so much especially when Cranston has placed deadly traps around the grounds, a wildcat is killed and one of the Wedding Guests turns up dead, it is up to Mallory, Gray and McCreadie to find out who the murderer is before another life is lost.

As this is the fourth book in the series, I highly recommend that you read the first three books in the series, starting with A Rip ThroughTime. These previous books will set up the relationship and time travel aspect in this book and really the struggle that Mallory has gone through from moving from the 21 Century to the 18th Century. I think that Armstrong does this aspect very well and builds upon with each book in the series.

I will admit that I was not sure about this series when I first started it but this one and the book before it have me even more hooked. I love that even Mallory was even more out of place in this one, as herself, Gray and McCreadie don’t have the tools and connections they have come to rely on. The country law enforcement leave much to be desired. I enjoyed that Armstrong did not rely on body after body to keep the reader's attention in this book and with that it turns out to be more of a who-done-it. This leaves a lot of room for deduction as none of them can rely as much on forensic science as they may do (even if this is less than Mallory is used to). I think that Armstrong did a great job in creating possible suspects and motives throughout the book and by the end I had not guessed who the murderer was, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Another aspect I thought that Armstong has done throughout the series is the relationship and co-worker relationship that Mallory and Gray have. They are really in a Gray area when it comes with the two of them being in private together for the time period. Their relationship that they have has this Oh Shit moment in the book, and i wonder how Armstrong is going to use that in the future.

I really enjoyed this book, the mystery it has and the relationships that Armstrong has created here. I look forward to reading another book in this series and to see where Armstrong takes this series.

Enjoy!!!

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Laura Thalassa: Pestilence

In the first book in a series, Laura Thalassa releases the first Horseman on the world, Pestilence:

Pestilence is coming for Sara Burns town, and it is now her duty to try and stop him. She has never killed before, but if her actions can save not only those that she loves but people beyond that, she knows that she has to take action. Pestilence does not take kindly to Sara and her attempt to kill him. Instead he decides to make her suffer as no human has suffered before, by keeping her alive to witness the death of humanity. But can so much time together let each one understand the other, or is Sara destined to die just like everyone else.

This is the first book that I have read by Thalassa and I really enjoyed this book as it was such a ride. Thalassa was able to draw me in right from the beginning and had me invested in Sara right away. I would classify this book as very much a popcorn fantasy romance book, with a darker side. I mean there are quite a few dark moments in the book (really starts at the beginning), and I am happy that Thalassa included this as I think the book would be lacking without it. I mean the book is about death and plague and you would be hard-pressed do have that as the major element in the book without darker aspects. Even as Pestilence kills, it is not a swift death, nor is anyone spared from is, whether they are young, old, health sick or even kind, they all face the same death. The book also shows the horribleness that humankind has no problem reverting to in dark times.

I feel like the trope enemies to lovers is over used a lot when authors try to promote their books, and it will be like one second of them hating each other and then they are in love. So when I say that this book is a true enemies to lovers, I 100% mean it (Unaliving attempts happen). These two truly hate each other and both believe they would be better off if the other did not exist. 

Sara is a really strong character and you cannot help but feel and relate to her as she struggles with what she has to do, not only at the beginning at the book but what she has to go through when she is with Pestilence. She feels like she has to show Pestilence what it actually means to be human and the depths of human emotions and society, even though it is Pestilence's presence that brings out the worst in people.

Pestilence is also an interesting character, he sees himself above Humans and the answer to the damage that human has done on the Earth. He struggles, boy does he ever struggle with understanding Sara and her motives and the things that she does. He struggles with the depth of Emotions that he didn’t seem to think that people could have

I really enjoyed this book and if you are looking for a popcorn fantasy romance, that is darker at times, then pick this book up. I know I'll be reading the next book in this series.

Enjoy!!!!!

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Emilia Hart: The Sirens

Emilia Hart is back with another take on a mythological creatures, the Sirens:

In 2019, Lucy awakes with her hands wrapped around, a man's neck, a man that she thought she could trust. Horrified with what she had done, and what was being said about her, Lucy flees to New South Wales to her sister Jess who she hope can help her understand what was happening. When She arrives she discovers Jess is gone and in order to understand her sister better, Lucy decides to snoop. In the 1800s Mary and Eliza are sentenced to deportation to Australia and they must suffer the many month trip at sea in the darken hold, with other women, but the more time they spend at sea the more they see the changes in their bodies. Centuries apart but connected in a way that no one would understand.

After reading Weyward, which I thoroughly enjoyed this last year, I was super excited to read The Sirens. Where Weyward was more whimsical when it came to the idea of witches, Sirens is more dark and eerie like the deep Ocean. If you are looking for something similar to Weyward, this book does have some of the same elements (especially when it comes to men and male characters) but the atmosphere is very much different. I personally liked the more eerie atmosphere, but i did not think that it entered in the creepy or disturbing areas, was more just greys and deep blues, well like the Ocean.

I found the historical timeline more interesting than the more modern one, though I did feel for what Jessica and Lucy have gone through, I just thought that it was the weaker of the storylines, and something that I had read before. Hart could have written an entire book about Mary and Eliza and I would have devoured it. I will say that how Hart interconnected the timelines was well done and how she chose to do this was interesting as well. It may not be for everyone but I liked it.

I appreciated Hart's take on Sirens, what they look like, how they hid in plain sight and the ever call to the water. I also like the Mission that they set upon for themselves, not quite the Sirens from Greek mythology. I think that Hart's take is more modern and I was here for it.

I was able to figure out the "twist", i think it was supposed to be a twist but I felt it was quite obvious. This book is much more of a character driven book than plot one, so i'm never sure about twists in what happens.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, especially the farther I got into it. I will say that don’t go into this book expecting another Weyward, which is not a bad thing, but I read some reviews that that is what they were expecting and not what they got. I would read another book by Hart and I look forward to see what mystical creature or folklore she takes on next.

Enjoy!!!!

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Alex Finlay: Parents Weekend

Alex Finlay is back with a thriller where every family has its secrets:

It's Parents Weekend, that one time during the year where the parents come to college and check up on their kids. It's supposed to be a time of reconnecting, meeting the friends they have been hanging out with and maybe a nice dinner. This was supposed to happen at a small private school in California, instead the night turns into a nightmare with five kids disappearing without a trace and the clock is ticking down to if they will find them before it is too late.

I have been reading Finlay's book and Agent Keller from the beginning, and I love that she is back in this book and a different capacity. She has totally moved away from financial crimes but I love that she still has that mind in her tenacity of look for data. If you have not read and books with Agent Keller, that is okay, while there is a sentence or two that relate back to other books featuring her, you do not need to read them to understand this book. I will say that because there are multiple POV in this book you may not feel the connection to Agent Keller or any of the characters as they do not get a lot of page time.

There are a few things that you need to know before going into this book, if you like short chapters this is for you, the chapters are only a few pages long at most. There are quite a few POV (and if you have read other books by Finlay this will not be a surprise for you), six families to be exact plus some POV from the college students as well. So if you do not like multiple POV this book will not be for you, but i do think that Finlay does a good job of keeping them unique so that it was not confusing

I love that this book was full of secrets. Everyone and every family seemed to have a secret that they were keeping from other family members and each has hope that theirs will not be discovered. I enjoyed how all of these secrets interfered with the investigation as each one comes to light it needs to be investigated for a connection. This felt very real to me, and the whole no stone unturned in order to kind the college students. I will say I was able to figure who was responsible, but Finlay does a great job in have lots of twist, turns and red herrings along the way. I enjoyed how each new piece of evidence was discovered even if it was relevant or not.

This was a fun ride, not my favourite in the Agent Keller series (The Night Shift is my favourite so far) as I felt she had less page time than I would like, but still a solid read that I think that people will enjoy whether they have read Finlay before or not.

Enjoy!!!

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Stacey Marie Brown: Savage Lands

In the first in a series Stacey Marie Brown takes readers to the war between Humans and Fae:

The Barrier between Earth and the Otherworld fell and the Fae Wars began. The Fae one, but there are some Human only strong holds, normally led by the rich and one of these is in Budapest. The battle for dominance between the Fae and Human Elite is about to reach a breaking point. Brexley has grown up privileged, but it has not been without struggles and hardships in her life. Now the ward of General Markos, she is forced to train to become a fearsome warrior against the Fae but she is also a political pawn. One night Brexley make a decision that will change everything, she is captured and thrown into The House a Death, a prison where no one leaves alive. Brex must learn to survive the worst of the human and Fae criminals and him, Warwick, the most brutal and feared man in the prison, The winner of the Pit Games.

When I read the premise of this book, I was like yup, that sounds like something that I want to read. I’m surprised that I have not seen anything about this book before, it was recommended for me on my Libby app. This book had a lot of things I enjoy in the fantasy genre; fast paced, darker elements (I mean it is a prison and there is a pit for fighting to the death), a FMC that knows how to fight, a mystery to solve, and some twist, that might not be original, but interesting nonetheless.

 At the beginning I really liked Brex as a character. Her recklessness, her fighting abilities and cocky attitude but I felt when she went to prison, she lost all of that. I understand that ending up in a prison that no one leaves would change anyone, but it is like she forgot her backbone and ability to fight completely. For quite a bit of time she becomes a completely different character. Once again I get it she is trying to figure out her place in the prison but to not stand up for herself at all especially towards people who do not have her training was just a weird way to take her character. She was all badass, even just before entering the prison by fighting some Fae but as soon as she descended this was all gone. I will say that Brex did not lose her brain though, she was smart with some of her choices, like her name and who she sat with

I’m extremely curious as to what Brex powers are going to turn out to be. I have some ideas but won’t know more till late in the series I think. The one thing that is lacking in the book is the powers of the Fae and Demons that are in Prison. It appears the shifters still have some powers but not their full strength. So we didn’t get to really see what "people" could do. The fights were straight fist fights with barely any powers. This is what happened in prison, powers were limited or taken away altogether. I think it would have been interesting (and probably darker) if Brown had decided not to strip every one of their powers. I want to see what a Demon can do, what the Fae can do in this world.

I like that Brown did not have this turn into a spicy book and I think it could have gone either way, but I liked that Brown just kept it at tension and it will be interesting to see how it plays out especially with how this book ended.

This was a great start to series and I'm happy that there are already quite a few books released for me to read. I think if you want a fast paced read, where Humans and Fae are pitted against each other then this is one to check out.

Enjoy!!!

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